WHERE IS THE LOGIC?
The National Party for country people has lost its way. At the last state election in 2019 the word water went missing.
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As someone said, reading the National Party material, water was not mentioned, it was all about the upcoming building of our base hospital, which is great.
The question I have been asking is who owns the rain? It is God's gift or mother nature, it falls on the land, we have no control on water when it rains and floods and yet it has become a tradeable item. When government separated land from water, one who has deep pockets one can purchase water without owning land. That is why we need a register of names of who own water.
Politicians do not have to declare in parliament ownership of water and yet every other item has to be declared and the biggest owner of water is the Commonwealth. And why are NSW irrigators in trouble with water? With no allocation a MIA farmer had to buy two megalitres of water to fill his dam, $1,500 and has not produced a summer crop of rice, corn or cotton and no income for the year 2020.
And then you have the farmer who was selling his butternut pumpkins at $2.50 per kilo and I said that is $2500 per tonne and the farmer said "I had to stop watering the pumpkins, at the price of water $700 per megalitre, could not afford the price of water. Beautiful pumpkin, tender skin, easy to cut, but the pumpkin was not fully matured and by the way the supermarket price is $4.90 per kilo, or $4900 per tonne.
Water is the lifeblood of our communities. Do our politicians want farmers to feed the nation, to be self-sufficient or do we need to import our food? And why is China allowed to buy up our dairy milk companies? Where by we will have to buy this milk back from China to meet the needs of our people in our country, where is the logic in this?
I am a run-down broken record, before our dams were built there was no environmental flow, we had droughts, floods, rivers nearly ran dry in the early years, the government of the day had to come up with a plan to drought-proof the area and they came up with the Barren Jack Dam and the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area.
Fran Pietroboni, Griffith
FROM YARRABEE TO RUPARI
'Yarrabee', Aboriginal for gum tree, my Griffith street, I grew up, sometimes no shoes on my feet.
Irrigation Canal, the hot Summer's respite, to school, I rode my bike.
Born to Italian immigrants, spoiled 'rotten' by my parents.
Older sisters, I have two, when I was cheeky, I 'copped a blue'.
Lyceum and Rio, I helped clean, the cinema doors, they did gleam.
Griffith Public and High, for my education, never away for school vacation.
There was always work to be done, weekend visits, to friends, for fun.
"Number please", my vocation, connecting locals and outback stations.
The 'City Lights' of Sydney beckoned, Bridge and Harbour, main attractions.
International calls, telephone operator, spoke to countries, the world over.
A 'blind date' came to my door, the 'copper', not to arrest, became amour.
Engagement, marriage, then new home, to 'Warringah', over water, no telephone.
'Rupari'- rounded hill, quiet cul-de-sac, no longer the bushland track.
Two boys, my 'sons and heirs', full of life, with no cares.
Tennis games with new friends, amicable neighbours, no need for amends.
With retirement, came lots of travel, Australia wide, to unravel.
'Nonna', a new title, two grandsons, Asian mottle.
'Step Gran' to three beauties, then 'Bella Bambina', a little cutie.
Probus Club, I did join, activities, cost - a gold coin!
U3A, subjects to learn, daytime lessons, no nocturn.
Family history, I search online, where I lose track of time.
Yarrabee to Rupari, life has been good to me.
By Gloria Velleley
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